RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AT THE CNS (Y-12 AND PANTEX) NUCLEAR DETECTION AND SENSOR TESTING CENTERS (NDSTC)

Transcription

1 Y / DW-2319 RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AT THE CNS (Y-12 AND PANTEX) NUCLEAR DETECTION AND SENSOR TESTING CENTERS (NDSTC) Carter Hull 1 Carter.Hull@cns.doe.gov Jim Tallent 4, Dennis Tollefson 2, Martin Williamson 3, Justin Curtis 4 1 CNS Y-12 National Security Complex, Nuclear Nonproliferation and Global Security Programs 2 Navarro Engineering, Y-12 Office 3 Currently assigned as M&O Technical Advisor to NA-243 HQ 4 CNS Y-12 National Security Complex, Assembly / Disassembly Operations UNCLASSIFED

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3 Presentation Overview U.S. National Security Enterprise CNS (Y-12 & Pantex) Y-12 Nuclear Detection and Sensor Testing Center (NDSTC) NDSTC Measurement Facilities Site 1 Site 2 Metallic Enriched and Highly Enriched Uranium (EU-HEU) Standards EU-HEU Chemical Standards New & Planned NDSTC Capabilities Summary Acknowledgments IAEA Detector Test Facility for the Illicit Trafficking Radiation Detector Assessment Program (ITRAP 1) conducted at Seibersdorf, Austria (Stonehenge).

4 National Security Enterprise Six production facilities and three design labs

5 Purpose of the CNS (Y-12 & Pantex) Nuclear Detection and Sensor Testing Centers (NDSTC) The testing centers at Y-12 & Pantex offers researchers opportunities to evaluate their instrumentation systems with: Objects and Assemblies New EU-HEU Metallic Enrichment Standards Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD) Compounds and alloys with various 235 U enrichments Other matrices containing EU-HEU Additional source materials in the current and historical inventory Nuclear Measurements Imaging System (NMIS) measurement of a containerized object. Use of photograph courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

6 Overview of Y-12 NDSTC Measurements Facilities Two sites at Y-12 for measurements with radiation detection systems and related technologies. Additional sites may be designated. SITE 1 A dedicated testing area within a highly secure facility Applications requiring Category I ( 5 kg) or Category II (<5 but >1 Kg) quantities of HEU Site 1 access allows the use of specific materials and objects stored in this facility Items in the Library of Test Objects NMIS with D-T generator. Figure from Recent Measurements with NMIS at ORNL, Mullens, J. A., et al., Used courtesy of ORNL.

7 Y-12 NDSTC Examples of Site 1 Measurements Site 1 Measurements with specific components and assemblies Approvals for: Verification Technologies Warhead Counting Applications Active Interrogation of objects (e.g. with D-T and D-D neutron generators) Passive measurements of materials / objects within storage arrays Recent Approvals for: Monitoring / verification of dismantlement operations and component signatures Measurements for Next Generation Safeguards Initiatives Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS) measurements at NDSTC by Idaho National Laboratory researchers. Use of photograph courtesy of INL.

8 Y-12 NDSTC Site 2 Site 2 Less restrictive areas for measuring Category IV quantities of HEU (typically <500 g): Users may operate their own instrumentation Users may conduct demonstrations / short courses Passive gamma-ray and neutron measurements Approvals underway for Active Interrogation at Site 2 (D-D and D-T generators)

9 Y-12 NDSTC Site 2 Site 2 Who may test at Site 2? Personnel with or without security clearances University Research Groups Nuclear Instrumentation Companies National Laboratory Personnel Other government funded groups (DTRA, DHS, NRL, etc.) Foreign Nationals (given adequate lead time)

10 University of Michigan NERS Measurements at Y-12 NDSTC Site 2

11 Enriched and Highly Enriched Uranium (EU-HEU) Standards Y-12 s forte is Uranium NDSTC has new sets of EU-HEU and depleted (DU) standards These are available for measurements; data are unclassified New and planned standards include: Metallic DU-EU-HEU Enrichment and Mass Standards Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD); data are unclassified DU-EU-HEU chemical compound standards Radiographic image of an Aluminum Uranium alloy hemi-casting used in one model of Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD).

12 Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD) Two Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD) are available to NDSTC users RSTD produce virtually exact gamma-ray spectra of much more massive amounts of HEU RSTD are the result of an extremely successful joint project by Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory NNSA NA-221 funded RSTD R&D Radiation Signature Training Device

13 Metallic Uranium Enrichment Standards From Cantrell, J. A., 2012, INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting Poster. Associated technical paper in the Proceedings of the INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting.

14 New DU & HEU Mass Standards From Cantrell, J. A., 2012, INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting Poster. Associated technical paper in the Proceedings of the INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting.

15 Gamma-Ray Spectra Produced with New EU-HEU Standards Gamma-ray spectra database is available to NDSTC users and for licensing.

16 Gamma-Ray Counts in 235 U 186 kev Peak Measured using New Metallic Enrichment Standards From Cantrell, J. A., 2012, INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting Poster. Associated technical paper in the Proceedings of the INMM 53 rd Annual Meeting.

17 EU-HEU Compounds and Alloy Standards at NDSTC

18 Planned NDSTC Capabilities Library of Test Objects near completion Photonuclear Measurements Continued characterization of the new EU-HEU Enrichment Standards EU-HEU Gamma-ray Spectra Library Much more massive metallic EU-HEU castings of various 235 U enrichments Chemical compound standards for Nonproliferation and International Safeguards Support for Universities, U.S. and International Safeguards, Treaty Verification, IAEA

19 Summary Three dedicated measurement sites are built out (Y-12 and Pantex) and operational. Additional sites can be designated. Measurements for: Monitored Dismantlement & Storage Treaty Verification Technologies Warhead Signature Campaigns Fissile Material Control Chain-of-Custody Studies Future Nonproliferation Initiatives HEU components and assemblies, EU-HEU metallic enrichment standards, and compounds are available for measurements Additional EU-HEU standards can be created; input welcome Measurement capabilities continue to be expanded

20 Acknowledgments This work was funded in-part by the Consortium for Verification Technology under Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration award number DE-NA We kindly acknowledge the extensive support of the Y-12 National Security Complex Plant Directed Research and Development Program (PDRD) and Y-12 Program Development for providing >$3.84 Million to date for developing the Y-12 Nuclear Detection and Sensor Testing Center. NNSA Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research & Development (DNN R&D), Proliferation Detection (NA-221) provided funding to fabricate a RSTD at Y-12 and permission to permanently house this standard at NDSTC Site 2. Y-12 NDSTC acknowledges NNSA Nonproliferation and International Security, Office of Nuclear Verification, Warhead and Fissile Materials Transparency (NA-243) for funding the fabrication and analysis of four of the new EU HEU disc standards.

21 Questions Discussion Carter Hull Director NDSTC Carter.Hull.cns.doe.gov (865) Configurable steel shielding and High Density Polyethylene reflector - moderator assemblies are available. Exploded view depicts shielded HEU source within shielding.

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